Wire guiding apparatus



J. J, FOLTA WIRE GUIDING APPARATUS May 16, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Sept. 2l, 1964 .NN WW INVENTOR. d//V d. 1:0721

May 16, 1967 I 1J. r-OLTA 3,319,667

WIRE GUIDING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 2l, 1964 I5 Sheets-Sheet I NVENTOR.

/C/j j Y @MW May 16, 1967 J. .1. FOLTA WIRE GUIDING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed Sept. 2l 1964 INVENTOR t///V c/. F

BY @Mm/Wm ArraP/vy United States Patent O 3,319,667 WIRE GUIDING APPARATUS John J. Foita, Georgetown, Ky., assignor to Hoover Ball and Bearing Company, Saline, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Sept. 21, 1964, Ser. No. 397,681 8 Claims. (Cl. 140-147) This invention relates generally to the art of wire bending and more particularly to an improved apparatus for guiding wire to a wire bending machine.

Corrugated wire springs are used extensively and a machine for making springs of this type is illustrated in U.S. Patent 2,849,031, owned by the assignee of this application. Wire from a continuous coil is fed to such a machine which bends it to the desired corrugated shape and cuts it into desired lengths. The wire as it is received directly from the coil is of a somewhat helical shape and one of the diiculties heretofore encountered in feeding such wire to the bending machine is the straightening of the wire between the time it leaves the coil and the time it enters the machine. In other words, the wire as received from the coil has a twist or cast to it which, in the absence of an intermediate operation on the wire, will adversely affect the quality and uniformity of the final bent wire product. In the case of corrugated wire springs formed in a bending machine, the internal stresses in the wire created during winding into the coil, affect the final shape of the corrugated wire springs and particularly the shape of the longitudinal axis of each spring. It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide apparatus for guiding the wire received from the coil into the machine so as to compensate for the twist or cast in the wire, feeding the wire to the bending machine at a relatively uniform rate determined by the speed of operation of the machine, and providing for an adjustable control of the shape of the bent wire product formed in the machine.

A further object of this invention is to provide a wire guiding apparatus which is simple and economical to manufacture, easy to install and operate, and which automatically provides for feeding of wire to the bending machine at a fairly uniform rate, with a shut-ott of the machine in the event of a problem in the wire feed.

Further objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view, with some parts broken away for the purpose of clarity, of the apparatus of this invention shown in assembly relation With a reel of wire and a wire bending machine;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of the apparatus of this invention looking substantially along the line 2 2 in FIG. 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary enlarged elevational View of a portion of the apparatus of this invention;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary detail sectional view of a portion of the apparatus of this invention looking substantially along the line 4--4 of FIG. 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary detail sectional view of a portion of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 3 as seen from substantially the line 5 5 in FIG. 3.

With reference to the drawing, the apparatus of this invention, indicated generally at 10, is illustrated in FIG. l in assembly relation with a motor driven reel 12 having a coil 14 of Wire 16 mounted thereon, and a wire bending machine 18, known as a corrugator which is described in detail in U.S. Patent 2,849,031, and the details of which form no part of the present invention. The reel 12 is mounted on a drive member 20 which is rotated ICC in a direction such that the Wire 16 is unwound from the coil 14 by a suitable drive motor 22 mounted on a supporting frame 24 for the reel 12.

The apparatus 10 includes a main frame 26 on which a pair of split clamp members 28 are mounted. Each of the clamp members 28 can be tightened or loosened by manual manipulation of a hand wheel 30. A tubular support member 32 having its axis disposed in a substantially horizontal plane, is positioned within the clamp members 28 so that it can be rotated to adjusted positions when the clamp members 28 are loosened and can be clamped in an adjusted position by tightening of the clamp members 28. A body 34, which consists of three angularly related and connected legs 36, 38 and 40, is mounted on the tubular support member 32 by securing the lower or free end of the leg 36 to the support member 32.

The leg 3S is formed with a guide slot 42 (FIGS. 1 and 3) in which a slide block 44 is slidably mounted for movement lengthwise of the leg 38. As shown in FIG. 4, the guide block 44 has a downturned end portion 46 formed with an opening 48 through which a support and guide rod 50 is loosely extended. The guide rod 50 is supported at one end on a block 58 carried by the outer end of the leg 38 adjacent one end of slot 42, and at the opposite end on a block 60 carried by the leg 38 at a position adjacent the opposite end of the guide slot 42. A compression spring 62 extended about the rod 50 extends between the block 60 and the projection 46 on the slide block 44 so as to urge the slide block 44 in a direction toward block 58 and toward the radially outer end 64 of the slot 42.

A retainer plate 66, of a Width greater than the width of the guide block 44 is positioned against the front face 68 of the leg 38 and is secured to the block 44 by screws 70 so as to maintain the block 44 in the slot 42. A mounting plate 72, secured to the plate 66 by bolts 74 has an arcuate track 76, of tubular shape in cross section, secured thereto by welding 78. The retainer plate 66 also has a switch actuating arm or bar 80 mounted thereon by a bolt 82. The arm is slidably supported, at a position spaced from plate 66, in a bearing block 83 secured to the body 34 at the juncture of the legs 36 and 40. The arm 80 is formed intermediate its ends with a notch 84 for a purpose to appear presently.

The leg 40 is identical in all respects to the leg 38 just described in that it has a guide slot 90, a retainer plate 92 and a mounting plate 94 on which an arcuate track 96, like the track 76 is mounted. The retainer plate 92 carries a slide block (not shown), like the block 44, which is mounted in the slot on a guide rod 95, and is urged radially outwardly toward the end 98 of the slot by a spring (not shown) on the rod which is identical to the spring 62 previously described.` It can thus be seen that the tracks 76 and 96 are continually spring urged in a radially outward direction.

An arcuate tubular track member 100, similar to the track members 76 and 96 is mounted in a xed position on the leg 36 at a position such that it extends longitudinally through the tubular support member 32, which is cut away on one side so that the leg 36 can extend therethrough, as shown in FIG. 2. The lower side of the track member 100 is cut away as shown in FIG. 1 so that the track member 100 is formed with a pair 0f longitudinally spaced edge surfaces 102 and 104, which form the inner ends of a pair of short tubular sections 103 and 105 connected by an arcuate section 107. The track members 76, 96 and 100 are arranged on the body 34 such that they form segments of a loop extending about the center axis 106 of the body 34.

In use, the apparatus 10 is positioned as shown in FIG. 1 between the reel 14 and the machine 18. Wire 16 from the coil 14 is initially extended into the inlet end of tubular support 32, along the arcuate track section 107, then counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 1 through the track section 105, the track 76, and the track 96. From the' track 96, the wire 16 is fed through the track section 103 and across the arcuate section 107 and out the opposite end of the tubular support member 32. The wire 16 is then fed into the machine 18 which during operation draws the wire 16 into the machine at a rate determined by the operation of the machine. It can thus be seen that the wire 16 is formed into a loop 108 on the apparatus 10, and the springs, such as spring 62, urge the track members 76 and 96 radially outwardly of the loop so as to tend to enlarge the size of the loop. The plane of the loop 108 is located so that the wire 16v is stressed during travel through loop 108 so as to compensate for the initial twist or cast in the Wire. The proper location of the loop 108 is a matter of trial and error for each reel 14 of wire.

The tension in the wire 16 as it travels through the track members 76 and 96 is the only force counteracting the springs 62. As a result, the size of the loop 108 is determined by the magnitude of the tension in the wire 16. This tension is in turn a function of the speed at which the reel 12 is rotating. In other words, if the reel 16 is rotating at a speed slower than required to feed the machine 18, the tension force in the wire 16 will be large, and if the reel 12 is rotating faster than necessary to supply the machine 18, or at about ay speed sufiicient to supply machine 1'8, the tension force in the wire 16 will be small or practically non-existent. Consequently, only when the reel 12 is rotating too slowly will the track members 76 and 96V be moved inwardly by wire 16 toward body axis 106.

A switch 110, mounted on a bracket 112 carried by the body 34 has a control lever 114, movable between a plurality of positions such as those indicated in solid and broken lines at A, B and C in FIG. 3. The switch 110 is operatively associated with the motor 22 so as to control the speed at which the motor 22 rotates the reel 12 and the switch 110 is also connected to the motor drive (not shown) for machine 18 so as to signal machine 18 to shut oit under certain conditions hereinafter described. The position of the switch control lever 114 is determined by the position of notch 84 in arm 80 since a roller 118- on lever 114 rides on arm 80. When notch 84 is in position A, B or C (FIG. 3) control lever is in corresponding position lA, B or C. In position A of lever 114, in which roller 118 is on one side of notch 84, which occurs when tracks 76 and 96 are adjacent the outer ends or slots 42 and 90, respectively,` switch 110 signals motor 22 to maintain what is hereinafter referred to as a normal,

speed of rotation of reel 12, which speed is suiiiciently fast to supply the demands of machine 18. In position B of control lever 114, in which roller 118 is disposed in notch 84, the switch 110 is in a position in which it signals motor 22 to rotate reel 12 at a faster speed. This occurs when the machine 18 is drawing wire from loop 108 faster than reel 12 is supplying wire to loop 10S sov that tension in the wire in loop 108 moves tracks 76 and 96 toward axis 106. In the dotted line position of the lever 114 indicated at C in FIG. 3, the roller 118 is on the opposite side of notch 84. In this position of lever 114, switch 110 signals machine 18 to shut oif, since this con- -dition occurs only when tension in loop 108 is great enough to move tracks 76 and 96 far enough inwardly to move notch 84 past lever roller 118 such as when there is a snag in wire 16 in coil 14 or motor 22 ceases to operate.

It can thus be seen that the apparatus is operable to maintain a predetermined movement of the wire 16 through a loop 108 which contines and controls the plane of the `wire in such a manner as to compensate for the twist or cast in the wire as it is fed to the machine 18. In practice, the motor 22 hunts or moves back and forth between normal Yand faster speeds of rotation of reel 14,

4 corresponding to positions A and B of notch 84 and lever 114. This type of operation provides for a relatively uniform rate of supply of wire 16 to machine 18.

It has been found that the shape of the longitudinal axis of corrugated wire springs formed in the machine 18 is affected by the rotated position of the tubular support member 32 in the clamp members 28. Consequently, if the shape of the longitudinal axis of the wire spring members being formed at the machine 18 is other than desired, the clamp member 28 is loosened and the support member is moved to an adjusted position such as shown in Vvbroken lines in FIG. 2. This adjustment is continued until the springsy formed in the machine 1S are of the desired shape. The body 34 is illustrated in a position such that the loop 108 is positioned in a substantially vertical plane. In practice, the body 34 can be positioned so as to locate Ythe loop in an inclined plane to either side of the illustrated vertical plane or in a horizontal plane. The choice depends on which gives the desired undistorted shape to the iinal bent wire product produced in machine 18.

It will be understood that the wire guiding apparatus which is herein disclosed and described is presented for purposes of explanation and illustration and is not intended to indicate limits of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a coil of wire having an upright axis and a wire bending machine for bending said wire, wire guiding apparatus located between said coil and said bending machine, said apparatus comprising means forming a track arranged so that when wire from said coil is extended through said track and into said machine, said wire is arranged in a return bent upon itselfk loop between said coil and said machine, and means mounting said track forming means for movement to a plurality of positions in which the plane of said loop is inclined with respect to said axis.

2. Wire guiding apparatus comprising a main frame, a4

tubular support member having a pair of ends and rotatably mounted on said main frame lfor adjustable movement abouta substantially horizontal axis therefor between a plurality of adjusted positions, clamp means on said main frame for releasably holding said support member in adjusted positions, a body supported on and ex-v tended upwardly from said support member, a plurality of arcuate wire track members mounted on said body in a generally circular formation so that a wire' extended into one end of said tubular support onto said track members and thence out the opposite end of said support member forms a loop, and spring means mounted on said body urging some of said track members outwardly to enlarge said loop, whereby the magnitude of the tensile forces in said wire determines the size of said loop.

3. Wire guiding apparatus comprising a main frame, a body adjust-ably mounted on said main frame, and a plurality of arcuate wire track members mounted on said body in a generally circular co-planar formation so that a wire supported on and trained about said track members forms a return bent upon itself loop, said body being adjustably mounted on said frame so that the plane occupied by said track members can be varied.

4. Wire guiding apparatus comprising a main frame, a body adjustably mounted on said main frame, a plurality of arcuate wire track members mounted on said body in a generally circular formation so that a wire supported on and trained about said track members forms a bent upon itself loop, and spring means mounted on said body urging some of said track members outwardly to enlarge said loop.

5. For use with a coil of wire, wire guiding apparatus comprising a main frame, a tubular support member having a pair of ends and rotatably mounted on said main frame for adjustable movement about a substantially horizontal axis therefor between a plurality of adjusted positions, clamp means on said main frame for releasably holding said support member in adjusted positions, a bodyv attached to said support member and having an axis, a plurality of arcuate wire track members mounted on said body in a generally circular formation about said axis, one of said track members extending longitudinally through said support member and having a pair of spaced apart tubular end sections, wire from said coil being extended into one end of said tubular support through one of said tubular end sections onto said track members and then through the other tubular end section and out the opposite end of said support member to form a wire loop, and spring means mounted on said body urging the other ones of said track members outwardly away from said axis to enlarge said loop.

6. For use with a coil of wire, wire guiding apparatus comprising a main frame, a tubular support member having a pair of ends and rotatably mounted on said main frame for adjustable movement about a substantially horizontal axis therefor between a plurality of adjusted positions, clamp means on said main frame for releasably holding said support member in adjusted positions, a body attached to said support member and having an axis, a plurality of arcuate wire track members mounted on said body in a generally circular formation about said axis,

one of said track members extending longitudinally through said support member and having a pair of spaced apart tubular end sections, wire from said coil being extended into one end of said tubular support through one of said tubular end sections onto said track members and then through the other tubular end section and out the opposite end of said support member to form a wire loop, spring means mounted on said body urging the other ones of said track members outwardly away from said axis to enlarge said loop, a switch on said body, and a switch actuating arm attached to one of said other ones of said track members for movement therewith.

7. In combination, a coil of wire, a reel supporting said coil, drive means for rotating said reel in a direction to unwind wire from said coil, a wire bending machine capable of drawing wire from said coil into it and bending said wire to a predetermined shape, wire guiding apparatus arranged between said coil and said machine and comprising a body having an axis, a plurality of arcuate track members arranged about said axis and having said wire trained thereabout so as to form Said wire into a loop between said coil and said machine, means mounting at least one of said track members on said body for movement toward and away from said axis in response to increased and decreased tension, respectively, in the wire in said loop, spring means urging Said one track member away from said axis, multi-position switch means on said body, switch actuating means secured to said one track member for movement therewith, said switch actuating means being operable to move said switch means to a position signalling said drive means to increase the rate of rotation of said reel in response to movement of said one track member toward said axis a .predetermined distance and being operable to move said switch means to a position signalling said machine to shut 01T in response to movement of said one track member a predetermined greater distance toward said axis.

8. In combination, a coil of wire, a reel supporting said coil, drive means for rotating said reel in a direction to unwind wire from said coil, a wire bending machine capable of drawing wire from said coil into it and bending said wire to a predetermined shape, wire guiding apparatus arranged between said coil and said machine and comprising a body having an axis, means adjustably supporting said body, a plurality of arcuate track members arranged about said axis and having said wire trained thereabout so as to form said wire into a loop between said coil and said machine, said body being adjustable to adjust the plane of said loop, means mounting some of said track members on said body for sliding movement toward and away from said axis in response to increased and decreased tension, respectively, in the wire in said loop, means urging said sliding track members in directions radially away from said axis, multi-position switch means on said body, switch actuating means mounted on said body for movement substantially radially of said axis along with said sliding track members, said switch actuating means being operable to move said switch means to a position signalling said drive means to increase the rate of rotation of said reel in response to movement of said sliding track members toward said axis a predetermined distance.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS A 730,427 6/1903 Wilson et al.

832,681 10/1909 Lind 140-147 1,357,883 11/1920 McChesney. 2,160,908 6/ 1939 Robinson 140-147 X 2,693,219 11/1954 Heller 140-147 X WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A COIL OF WIRE HAVING AN UPRIGHT AXIS AND A WIRE BENDING MACHINE FOR BENDING SAID WIRE, WIRE GUIDING APPARATUS LOCATED BETWEEN SAID COIL AND SAID BENDING MACHINE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING MEANS FORMING A TRACK ARRANGED SO THAT WHEN WIRE FROM SAID COIL IS EXTENDED THROUGH SAID TRACK AND INTO SAID MACHINE, SAID WIRE IS ARRANGED IN A RETURN BENT UPON ITSELF LOOP BETWEEN SAID COIL AND SAID MACHINE, AND MEANS MOUNTING SAID TRACK FORMING MEANS FOR MOVEMENT TO A PLURALITY OF POSITIONS IN WHICH THE PLANE OF SAID LOOP IS INCLINED WITH RESPECT TO SAID AXIS. 